Display-cabinet.



J. A. DOUGLASS. DISPLAY CABIN ET. APPLICATION FILED MAR, 22, 1911.

1,016,818. Patented Feb. 6, 1912. v v -2 SHBBTSSH1?ET 2 @v 61 I 34 2/ $b A Z0 Zgfl, M/AQ I Z3 0 am 1$ COLUMBIA PLAK'DGRAPH C0. WASHINGTON JOHN A. DOUGLASS, 0F AUSTIN, TEXAS.

DISPLAY-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed. March 22, 1911. Serial No. 616,057.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN A. DOUGLASS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Travis and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Display-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to cabinets and has for an object to provide a suitable display cabinet having closures relatively operable to open the cabinet so that any goods contained in the cabinet can be taken therefrom.

Among other features, my invention embodiesa cabinet, the sides of which are preferably of a transparent construction, portions of the said sides being relatively operable and constituting closures so that when the upper side of the casing is opened the front side thereof will also be opened, thus permitting the buyer to select from the cabinet the particular goods that he desired to purchase.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a casing provided with closures constituting portions of the top and front of the casing and means connecting the said closures whereby when the upper closure is operated, the front closure will also be relatively operated.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation showing my invention in closed position. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 41 is a vertical section taken on the line M in Fig. 1, the cabinet being shown in open position. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view disclosing an end of the upper closure and shows one of the stirrups secured to the end and having connection with one of the cords for operating the closure. Fig. 6 is a modified form of my device and shows a fragmentary perspective view of one of the corners of my cabinet, a weight being mounted on the rear uprights to perform the same functions as the plurality of weights shown in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the views, I provide a base 10 provided with a plurality of uprights 11, 12, secured to the corners of the base, the said uprights 11, 12

being preferably hollow, as is shown in Fig. I

2, Secured to the upper ends of the uprlghts 11 is a coping 13, the ends of the said copmg being adapted to substantially abut and form smooth joints 14:. At the rear of the base 10 and between the uprights 11 a rear board 15 is secured and extends vertically upward from the base 10, the said board having hingedly mounted at the upper end thereof a second board 16 having its upper end adapted to engage the under side of the coping 13, the said rear boards 15 and 16 constituting a rear side of the cabinet.

Extending upwardly from the base 10 and between the uprights 12 and secured thereto is a transparent front side 17, the said side extending upwardly approximately one-half the heightof the cabinet and the said side being disposed stationary relatively to the cabinet. Mounted to slide in grooves 18 formed in the uprights 12 is a transparent closure 19, the said closure being adapted to slide on the uprights 12 adjacent the front side 17 and the said closure 19 being so disposed that when it is in its uppermost position in the cabinet, the lower end thereof will overlap the upper end of the side 17 and the upper end of the closure 19 will be disposed beneath the coping 13 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Secured to the upper ends of the uprights 11 and extending horizontally outward toward the front of the cabinet is a transparent top side 20, the said top side having its ends secured to the coping 14:. Mounted to slide in grooves formed in the coping 14: is a transparent clo sure 21, the said closure being slidable immediately adjacent the top side 20 and so disposed that when the closure 21 is in position to close the upper side of the cabinet, the rear end of the said closure will overlap the top side 20 and the front end of the closure 21 will engage the upper end of the closure 19 beneath the copmg 13 as shown in Fig. 3, it being understood that the top side 20 is a trifle wider than the width of onehalf the cabinet.

As mentioned heretofore, the uprights 11 are made hollow and have pulleys 22, 23 mounted at the upper and lower ends thereof, apertures 24;, 25 being formed in the uprights 11 adjacent the pulleys 22, 23. The uprights 12 are provided with longitudinally extending ducts 26, and mounted at the upper and lower ends of the said uprights 12 are pulleys 27, 28 having apertures 29, 30 formed in the uprights adjacent the pulleys 27, 28 and a pulley 31 is positioned immediately adjacent the aperture 29 in one of the uprights 12 and above the pulley 27 as shown in Fig. 4. Mounted to slide in the hollow uprights 11 are weights 32, the said weights being provided with hooks 33 at their ends, cords 34 being secured to the hooks at the upper ends of the weights 32, the said cords passing over the pulleys 22 and having their other ends secured to a stirrup 35 connected to the slidable closure 21 at the rear end thereof. Secured to the hooks 33 at the lower ends of the weights 32 are cords 36 adapted to pass over pulleys 23, 30, 27 and 31, the said cords 36 being connected to the closure 19 a distance below the upper end of the closure. It will be understood and readily seen by referring to Fig. 4 that the cords 34 pass through the apertures 24 so that they can be connected to the closure 21 and the cords 36 pass through the successive apertures 25 and 30 so that they can be conveniently connected to the closure 19. Secured to the upper side of the closure 21 is a handle 37 of any convenient shape and deslgn.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it Will be seen that the closures of the cabinet are in closed position. Now in order to properly open the cabinet so that the purchaser can pick out the goods he desires from the cabinet, the handle 37 is grasped and the closure 21 is moved rearwardly welghts havlng connection with the closure taken therefrom by the toward the uprights 11. As the said closure 21 is moved rearwardly, the weights 32 will descend in the uprights 11, thus providinga slack in the cords 36 and the closure 19, having sufficient weight to take up the slack in the cords 36, will move downwardly and the said closures l9 and 21 will then be ositioned as shown in Fig. 4, the cabinet being open so that the desired goods can be purchaser. To close the cabinet, the handle 37 is grasped and the closure 21 is moved forwardly toward the uprights 12, thus moving the weights 32 upwardly in the uprights 11 and the said 19 will cause the said closure to move upwardly until the closures 19 and 21 have their edges in engagement, thus closing the cabinet.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that by operating the upper closure 21, the front closure 19 is also relatively operated so that when the upper side of the cab- .inet is open, the front side will be simultaneously opened and when the upper side of the cabinet is closed, the front side of the cabinet will also be closed, a relative cooperation having been established between the said closures 19 and 21.

In Fig. 6 I disclose a modified form of my device and in which I employ a weight 40 to take the place of the weights 32 and the construction heretofore described. The weight 40 is provided at its ends with lugs 41 adapted to slide in grooves 42 formed in the rear uprights of my cabinet and the said weight extends longitudinally to the cabinet with both its ends slidable in the grooves formed in each of the uprights at the rear of the cabinet. The cords 43, 44 corresponding to the cords 34 and 36 respectively, are secured to the weight 40 at the ends so that the said cords will be slidable in the grooves 42 of the uprights and the weight 40 will move and have the same operation as the weights 32 heretofore described, the said weight 40 being adapted to also perform the same function as the weights 32.

Although for the purpose of describing my cabinet I have shown a particular construction thereof, it will be readily understood that the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims. 1

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, is z- 1. A display cabinet comprising a base, a plurality of uprights secured to the front end of the base and having longitudinally extending ducts formed therein, a plurality of uprights secured to the rear end of the said base and provided with lon 'itudinally extending apertures, sides and ends connected to the said base to form a casing, the upper side of the said casing having an opening therein and the front side of the said casing having an opening, a closure mounted on the upper side of the said casing and adapted to slide thereon, a second closure mounted on the front side of the said casing and adapted to slide thereon, weights mounted to slide in the apertures of the rear uprights, cords connecting the said weights with the closure on the upper side of the said casing and cords extending through the said ducts in the said front uprights and connecting the said weights with the said front closure, so that when the closure on the upper side of the casing is operated, the closure 011 the front side of the casing will be relatively operate 2. A display cabinet comprising a base, a plurality and rear ends of the said base, the said front uprights being provided with ducts and the said rear uprights having cylindrical apertures extending therethrough, a coping connecting the upper ends of the said uprights, sides and ends connected to the said uprights to form a casing having an opening in the upper sides thereof and a second opening in the front side thereof, closures mounted to slide in the said casing and adapted to close the said openings therein, pulleys mounted in the said front uprights, and the said rear uprights and cords adapted to pass over the said pulleys and extending through the ducts in the said front uprights and through the said openings in the rear uprights, the ends of the said cords being connected to the said closure so that when one of the closures is operated, the other said closure will be relatively ooerated to open or close the openings in tie said casing.

3. In a display cabinet the combination of a base, uprights secured to the said base at the front and rear ends thereof, the front uprights being provided with ducts and the rear uprights being provided with apertures extending longitudinally there through, sides and ends connected to the form a casing provided said uprights to the upper and front sides with openings in thereof, closures mounted to slide in the said casing to close the openings in the upper and front sides thereof, weights mounted to slide in the apertures in the rear uprights, flexible connections between the said weights and the closure on the upper side of the said casing and flexible connections extending through the ducts in the said front uprights and connecting the said weight-s with the closure on the front of the casing, the closure on the front of the casing being operable simultaneously with the closure on the upper side of the casing.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. DOUGLASS. Witnesses:

E. G. HUTCI-IINGS, L. J. SCHNEIDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

